[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 126 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 126

   To amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act to revise and 
  extend certain programs relating to the education of individuals as 
             health professionals, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 21, 1997

  Mr. Inouye introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
         referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act to revise and 
  extend certain programs relating to the education of individuals as 
             health professionals, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Physical Therapy and Occupational 
Therapy Education Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. PHYSICAL THERAPY AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY.

    Subpart II of part D of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 294d et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 768. PHYSICAL THERAPY AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may make grants to, and enter into 
contracts with, programs of physical therapy and occupational therapy 
for the purpose of planning and implementing projects to recruit and 
retain faculty and students, develop curriculum, support the 
distribution of physical therapy and occupational therapy practitioners 
in underserved areas, or support the continuing development of these 
professions.
    ``(b) Preference in Making Grants.--In making grants under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall give preference to qualified 
applicants that seek to educate physical therapists or occupational 
therapists in rural or urban medically underserved communities, or to 
expand post-professional programs for the advanced education of 
physical therapy or occupational therapy practitioners.
    ``(c) Peer Review.--Each peer review group under section 798(a) 
that is reviewing proposals for grants or contracts under subsection 
(a) shall include not fewer than 2 physical therapists or occupational 
therapists.
    ``(d) Report to Congress.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall prepare a report 
        that--
                    ``(A) summarizes the applications submitted to the 
                Secretary for grants or contracts under subsection (a);
                    ``(B) specifies the identity of entities receiving 
                the grants or contracts; and
                    ``(C) evaluates the effectiveness of the program 
                based upon the objectives established by the entities 
                receiving the grants or contracts.
            ``(2) Date certain for submission.--Not later than February 
        1, 2001, the Secretary shall submit the report prepared under 
        paragraph (1) to the Committee on Commerce and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives, the Committee 
        on Labor and Human Resources and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the Senate.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 for 
each of the fiscal years 1997 through 2000.''.
                                 <all>